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AAP chief may be running out of options on ED summons; Atishi is fourth in his govt facing central agency action; and DJB is a new battle ground.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal poses for photos at a programme under the Chief Minister Pilgrimage Scheme, at the Thyagraj Stadium in New Delhi, Monday, Feb. 5, 2024.

A Delhi court on Wednesday asked Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to appear before it on February 17, on a complaint filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against the Aam Aadmi Party supremo for missing five consecutive summons in relation to the liquor excise policy case.

A day earlier, premises linked to several Aam Aadmi Party leaders, including one of the closest and oldest aides of Arvind Kejriwal, were raided in a further expansion of the ambit of investigations against the embattled party.

Tuesday’s raids by the CBI, which the AAP has claimed lasted “23 hours”, were carried out in connection with alleged illegal monetary gains to a private company for the supply, installation, testing and commissioning of water meters by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB).

The raids were conducted the same day as the ED threatened legal action against AAP leader and minister Atishi for claiming lacunae in the ED’s investigation into the liquor policy case, which has seen the arrest of several senior leaders, including former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia.

The tightening net around the AAP incidentally seems to hew close to a BJP timeline, as reported by The Indian Express, of a “400-day plan” by the party – leading up to the Lok Sabha elections and continuing till the 2025 Delhi Assembly polls – against the AAP, centred around “10 specific allegations of corruption in government departments”. These included the liquor policy case, DJB allegations, charges regarding maintenance of public buses, and alleged corruption in the construction of classrooms.